There may be several moments throughout the academic stage, in which a child for one reason or another, I feel alone at recess, isolated or excluded from your group of friends. Faced with these situations, some children do not know how to react and they isolate themselves even more, so it is important to have a helping hand that helps to get out of that state.
That's exactly what Sammie Vance, a nine-year-old American girl who, disgusted to see how some of her classmates were alone at recesses, has intended to do, decided to come up with a fascinating solution that has earned everyone's recognition.
The "bank of friends"
Sammie is nine years old and studies third grade in an Indiana school in the United States. Despite her young age, this little girl has given everyone a great lesson in empathy, solidarity and love for others That has left us amazed.
It all started at patio time, when Sammie realized that some children didn't play with anyone and they spent their recess time alone. So he decided to come up with a physical place where any child without company could go, as a way of telling everyone that he was looking for friends.
The site he had imagined baptized him as a "bank of friends", and he expressed it in a drawing that he taught his teachers with the only idea of making it happen one day.
Vignette drawn by Sammie Vance, via Usa Today "If someone is alone or if they are new to school and have no one to play with, they can sit on the bench, and when other people see them there they will approach them and invite them to play" - he explained, excited, USA Today
Installing the banks at the school cost money that the center could not afford, but far from giving up, Sammie tried to find a solution. And that's how with the help of his mother and other students, he gathered a large number of plastic caps that he exchanged with some factories in exchange for three benches, which have been located at various points in the courtyard from his school.
The students of this school have welcomed the idea of Sammie with great emotion, and every time they go to recess the first thing they do is see if there is someone sitting on these benches to offer their friendship.Much more than a place to find friends
Last year, my son first started in a new school. The first two days were somewhat difficult for him, because although he is a rather outgoing and smiling child, the change logically affected him. He missed his old friends and at first he was sad and lost.
For these types of situations, the "bank of friends" seems like a great idea. But I can think of many more, such as having a physical place to go to find new playmates when regular friends have not attended school, or are playing something in which the child does not want or does not feel like participating.
In addition, Sammie wants the "bank of friends" to be a bullying free space in which any child who is suffering bullying or feels excluded can take refuge, since there you can find support and help in new classmates.
In short, this bank is an extraordinary form of promote inclusion and friendship, and thanks to which children will have the possibility of meeting new friends, whether they come to him to sit down or if they do so to reach out to those who are already sitting.
The gesture of this little girl has seemed to me a wonderful ode to friendship, as well as an excellent resource to help those children who have more difficulties to interact or make friends. I wish this initiative was extended to all cabbages!
